Wallace m



March 1, 1932. w. M. GRAY TRACK LUBRICATING APPARATUS Filed March 5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I r I z I r VENTOR .Waflau IN 8 AT (BR/v5) Patented Mar. 1, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT? OFFICE WALLACE M. GRAY, 0E CI CINNATI oEIo, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN VALVE AND METER CoMrANY, or CINCINNATI, OHIO, 'A'conroRA'rIoN or 01110 TRACK .II-UBIRQIG'A'I.INL-Trv APPARATUS I Application filed March 5,

My invention relates to improvements in railway track lubricators. One of its objects is to provide an improved track lubricator in which a reservoir of lubricant is mounted rigidly relative to one of the rails and provided with means adapted to be actuated by the passing of rolling stock over the rails to dip into the lubricant in the reservoir and to apply a relatively small quantity of lubricant to the side of the rail at each operation thereof. Another object is to provide improved apparatus adapted to be actuated bythe passage of the rolling stock to dip into the lubrlcant and to apply lubricantto the rail. An} other object is to provide for closing the reservoir and protecting the lubricant from contact with abrasive materials when not in operation. Another object is to provide simple reliable apparatus adapted to respond in the short interval oftime available and, to com pensate for wear in the rail, and maintain operative condition and relation to the rail.

My invention also comprises certain details of form and arrangement and combination of components, all of which will be fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, in which I I V Fig. '1 is a vertical section through a railway rail and a track lubricating" apparatus in its normal or rest position embodying my improvements, taken on line 11 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating an active position of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in section on line 33 of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2. V

Fig. 4: is a plan of the apparatus shown. in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, partly in section on line 4l4 of Fig. 1. y g

The accompanying drawings illustrate one embodiment of my invention in which 15 represents one of the rails to be lubricated,

for instance the outside rail along a curve in the track, and to the side of which rail it is desired to automatically apply lubricant in order to reduce the wear and excessive grinding action at curves and other localities, due' to the flanges of the rolling stock wheels being crowded against the side of the rail.

By applying lubricant'in small quantity to 1929.- Serial No. 344,514.

the upper edge of the side of the rail at the commencement of a curve in the track, the successive wheel flanges pick up each a small portion of the lubricant and distribute it along the side of the rail for the entire length of the curve. A relatively small tank, or lubricant reservoir 16, for instance a reservoir of a capacity of from one to three gallons of lubricant, is attached rigidly and firmly in place to one side of the rail, by any suitable attaching means. I have illustrated a strap of metal 17 encircling three sides of the reservoir and attached at opposite ends to the Web of the rail by means of bolts 18 and nuts 19. The reservoir 16 is entirely closed on all sides except for a narrow section of the top adjacent to the rail and in the path of the flanges ofthe car wheels. This opening is normally closed by means of a downwardly opening door 20 which is hinged relative to the reservoir bymeans of a sha-ft2l jour: naled in bearings 22 and 23 carried bythe reservoir. The door 20 has a downwardly directed crank arm or lever 24, of greater length than the width of the door 20. The crank arm 24 at its free end bears against a roller 25, pivotally mounted upon the crank 26. of a crank shaft 27 journaled in bearings 36 attached rigidly to the lid of the reservoir 16. The shaft 27 is provided with two crank arms or levers 28, longer than the crank 26 and preferably attached to the crank shaft 27 by means of pins 83. The free ends of the crank arms28 are attached preferably with a limited amount of pivotal movement at 29 to a movable blade 30 near opposite ends of said blade and at the rear edge of said blade. The forward edge of the blade 30 as shown in Fig. 1, normally projects upwardly and in contact with the upper portionof the side of the rail 15 and interposed between the edge of the rail and the free edge of the door 20, so as to apply lubricant to the side of the rail well up thereon. V

I The upper face of thedoor 20 is inclined at 31 and 32 from opposite ends thereof toward the center of the door, in order that an approaching car wheel flange shall ride up the inclined upper face of the door and gradually apply power tothe door to depress the door, rather than for the flange of the wheel to strike a sharp edge or. corner of the door a sudden sharp blow. It also sometimes happens that the car wheel flange when it'approaches the tracklubricator is in the position shown in dotted line in Fig. 2 in place of being in its normal full line position Fig. 2.

In this event, the curve 84 in the central upper face of the door 20, serves to insure a substantially normal throw and operation of the door 20. The passing car wheelflange serves to ride up the incline and depress the door, and this in turn through the crank arm 24, roller 25, crank 26, crank shaft 27 and crank arms 28 cause the blade 30 to move down Wardly from substantially the normal or rest position shown in Fig. 1 to substantially the position shown in Fig. 2, in which the blade 30 is entirely submerged in the lubricant in the reservoir 16. As soon. as'the car wheel flange 33 has passed the door 20, the door 20, shaft 21, crank arm 24, roller 25, crank 26', crank shaft 27, crank arms 28 and blade 30, being energized by coiled springs 3i and 35 coiled about the crank shaft 27 are quickly returned to their normal or rest position shown in Fig. l, where'the free edge of the blade 30 makes another application of lubricant to the rail. The springs 34sand 35 are attached at one end to the bearings 36 for the shaft 27, which bearings 36 are carried rigidly by the reservoir 16. The opposite ends of the springs 3i and 35 enter recesses in the hubs of the crank arms 28. The relatively different lengths of the levers 24, 26, and 28 providefor a relatively short or small movement of the door 20, and a relatively great amount of travel for the blade 30, to enable the blade 30 to move to the lower portion of the reservoir and be entirely immersed in lubricant :at each operation. As illustrated the blade moves at a rate of about two to one as compared with the door movement.

' In order that the position of the upper edge of the blade 30 may be predetermined and adjusted when required into position relative to the rail, I provide set-screws86 which are threaded through the lid of the reservoir 16 and locked to their adjusted positions by lock-nuts 87. The inner ends of the setscrews 86 are in position to act as stop members and be engaged by the crank arms 28, to thereby limit the movement of the crank arms 28 and the blade 30, and to prevent the free edge of the blade from rising above the top face of the rail. Adjustment of the set-screws 86 is preferably made from the outside of the reservoir after the reservoir has been adjusted to the rail.

The normal tendency is. or the side of the head of the rail 15 adjacent to the free edge of the blade 30 to wear away more rapidly than other portions of the rail. By attaching the blade at 29 with a pivotal movement,

upon the reservoir and other supporting and strain resisting members. By attaching the reservoir directly to the rail, the blade and other movable and stationary parts are enabled to maintain uniformly their original relations to the rail and to continue to function reliably for relatively long periods of z service. The apparatus is also adapted to satisfactorily apply thick and heavy lubricants such as are best adapted for this purpose, and to operate reliably at all seasons of the year.

The apparatus herein shown and described is capable of considerable modification within the scope of'the claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is 1. A track lubricator comprising a lubricant reservoir attached rigidly to the rail to be lubricated, a lubricating blade housed with in said reservoir with its free edge normally restlng against the side ofthe rail to which the reservoir is attached and above the level of lubricant in said reservoir and pivotaily mounted upon an axis substantially parallel to the rail, a blade actuating member serving also as a door to close an opening in thetop of'sai d reservoir, said actuating member being in position to be engaged and depressed by the flanges of the wheels passing along said rail, and means operatively connecting said actuatingmember and blade to cause said blade to disappear beneath the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir when said actuating member is depressed and to return to normal position to apply lubricant to the rail when said actuating member is returned to normal position.

:2. A track lubricator comprising a lubri--, cant reservoir attached rigidly to the rail to be lubricated, a lubricating blade pivot-ally mounted within said lubricant reservoir and movable through the arc of a circle from a position beneath the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir to a normal position with the free edge of saidblade above the surface of the lubricant in saidreservoir and in position to apply lubricant to the side of the rail, a blade actuating member pivotally mounted relative to said reservoir and serving to close an opening in the upper face of its said reservoir, said actuating member being operatively connected to said blade, and being also in position to be engaged and depressed by the flanges of wheels passing along said rail, and means to resiliently hold said blade and actuating member in their normal or elevated position.

3. A track lubricator comprising a lubricant reservoir attached rigidly to the rail to be lubricated, a lubricating blade pivotally mounted within said lubricant reservoir and movable through the arc of a circle from a position beneath the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir to a normal position with the free edge of said blade above the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir and in position to apply lubricant to the side of the rail, a blade actuating member pivotally mounted relative to said reservoir and provided with an inclined upper surface adapted to be engaged by the flanges of wheels passing along said rail to thereby depress said actuating member said actuating member being operatively connected to said blade, and means to resiliently hold said blade and actuating member in their normal or elevated position.

4. A track lubricator comprising a lubricant reservoir attached rigidly to the rail to be lubricated, a lubricating blade pivotally mounted within said lubricant reservoir and movable through the arc of a circle from a position beneath the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir to a normal position with the free edge of said blade above the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir and in position to apply lubricant to the side of the rail, a blade actuating member pivotally mounted relative to said reservoir and operatively connected to said blade so as to produce a relatively greater movement of said blade than of said actuating member, said actuating member being in a position to be engaged and depressed by the flanges of wheels passing along said rail, and means to resiliently hold said blade and actuating member in their normal or elevated position.

5. track lubricator comprising a lubricant reservoir attached rigidly to the rail to be lubricated, a lubricating blade pivotally mounted and disposed substantially wholly within said lubricant reservoir and movable through the arc of a circle pivotally upon an axis substantially parallel to the rail from position beneath the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir to a normal position with the free edge of said blade above the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir and in position to apply lubricant to the side of the rail, means to resiliently hold said blade in its normal elevated position, and means adapted to be engaged by the flanges of wheels passing along said rail to depress said blade below the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir.

6. A track lubricator comprising a lubri cant reservoir, a lubricating blade pivotally mounted within said lubricant reservoir and movable through the arc of-a circle from a position beneath the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir to a normal position with the free edge of said blade above the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir and in position to apply lubricant to the side of the rail head, means to resiliently hold said blade in its normal elevated position, means adapt-'- ed to be engaged by the flanges of wheels passing along the rail to depress said blade below the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir, and means adjustable to predetermine the normal elevated position of said blade with reference to the rail.

7. A track lubricating apparatus comprising a lubricant reservoir, a lubricating blade pivotally and adjustably mounted within said lubricant reservoir and movable through the arc of a circle from a position beneath the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir to a normal elevated position with the free edge of said blade above thesurface of the lubricant in said reservoir and in contact with the side of the head of the rail to apply lubricant to the side of the rail head, means to resiliently hold said blade in its normal elevated position, and means adapted to be engaged by the flanges of car wheels passing along the rail to depress said blade below the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir, the upper edge of said blade being movable toward the rail to compensate for wear and to maintain contact with the side of the rail head.

8. A track lubricator comprising a lubricant reservoir, a lubricating blade mounted upon and movable relative to an axis located parallel to the rail to be lubricated, and movable from a position incontact with the rail to be lubricated to a position beneath the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir, said blade being free of contact with car wheels, and means adapted to be actuated by wheels passing along said rail to actuate said blade.

9. A tracklubricator comprising a lubricant reservoir attached to the rail to be lubricated, a lubricating blade mounted upon an axis substantially parallel to the rail to be lubricated and movable from a position with its free edge in contact with the side of the rail head to a position with the free edge of said blade beneath the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir, and means adapted to be actuated by wheels passing along said rail to actuate said blade at a relatively greater ratio than the movement of said actuating means.

10. A track lubricator comprising a lubricant reservoir attached to the rail to be lubricated, a lubricating blade mounted upon an axis substantially parallel to the rail to be lubricated and movable from a position with its free edge in contact with the side of the rail head to a position with the free edge of said blade beneath the surface of the lubricant in said reservoir, and means adapted to be actuated by Wheels passing along said rail to actuate said blade, and stop mechanism adj ustable to position the free edge of the blade relative to the rail to be lubricated.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

WALLACE M. GRAY. 

